Travertine floors

Maurizio, I installed travertine floors in my new home. After installation, the installer cleaned the floor to remove the excess grout, but I'm certain that he did not do the most thorough job. Since installation, the floor remained mostly uncovered, until I moved in to the new home a few weeks ago. However, it was in an uncovered state for several months. That means that hundreds of contractors walked all over the bare floor during construction. Needless to say it developed some stains and light scratches, though it is not in terrible shape. I tried to clean some of the spots myself, but I used a very harsh cleaner to do so. I only managed to do a few small spots before I stopped, as it seemed to be rubbing some of the luster away; I used Bam citrus cleaner. It didn't bleach the areas, but I do have a few small circles that seem to have no shine. Thankfully, there are few enough of those dull spots that they are not very noticeable. Because of what I've explained above, the floor (in general) seems dull and lacks that “slight” shine it had when it was in the box. I'm not sure if the travertine was polished or honed, but it did have a slight luster, but certainly not that “wet” shine that polished granite or marble tiles have. What I would like to achieve is the following: 1) Use a cleaner that will thoroughly clean the tiles, without damaging them. I want to completely remove any remaining grout residue, as well as many annoying little stains that have gathered on the floor; these stains include paint, wood stain, grime, and God knows whatever else. One thing to be aware of though……..My kitchen floor scheme is a mix of travertine tile squares placed inside frames of hardwood, i.e. the kitchen is both tile and hardwood. Whatever cleaner I use must be gentle enough not to ruin finished hardwood. 2) From cleaning, the tiles have developed light swirl marks, which I would like to remove. Again, I would like to use a product/technique that will not damage the hardwood in the kitchen. 3) I would like to use a product/polish that will then bring back some shine to the tiles; and perhaps remove some of the fine scratches. Only a light shine, as I do not really like that “wet” mirror like shine that polished granite has. 4) If recommended, I would like to use some sort of sealer/color enhancer/impregnator (not sure which) that will lock in the natural beauty of the tiles and prevent any further staining or damage to them. I realize that I'm asking a lot, but I just want help with creating a maintenance routine that will bring the best out of my floor. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

Dear Sokol:

 

“ My kitchen floor scheme is a mix of travertine tile squares placed inside frames of hardwood, i.e. the kitchen is both tile and hardwood. ”

 

Your floor must be drop dead gorgeous!

Too bad it is not serviceable… L

This, I'm afraid, concludes my advice.

I don't even want to go into the citrus cleaner thing (didn't they tell you anything where they sold you the stone?...) and all the rest. Mixing stone and wood (especially in a kitchen) is plain… well, you know what I mean; and I'm sure that you can fill the blanks by yourself.

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli